The board directors of Alberta Wheat and Alberta Barley are staying mum on why they abruptly ousted Tom Steve, their highly regarded general manager.
Steve, chief operating officer Syeda Khurram and FarmCash program manager Hasan Kazmi were all dismissed on April 26. The two cereal groups didn’t announce the dismissals, and when the news broke two days later, only said there had been “a change in direction of its senior leadership team” without naming the three individuals.
Alberta Barley chair Tara Sawyer later said the boards of both farm groups “confirmed the change” but would not be releasing any additional information.
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“As our board deliberations are confidential in nature, we do not discuss or comment publicly on the nature of these meetings,” Sawyer said in an email.
In a separate statement, Alberta Wheat chair Greg Sears acknowledged the situation was challenging.
“These events have caused emotional and mental hardships on many, and for that we feel a responsibility to correct course and work with new leadership that promotes a positive culture that continues to serve the needs of our stakeholders, delegates and farmers,” Sears stated in an email to The Western Producer.
The unexpected ouster prompted many questions, with veteran insiders such as former Alberta Wheat chair Gary Stanford getting numerous calls.
“I got a phone call that said Tom and Syeda were let go, and I said, ‘what happened?’ and they said it’s confidential,” the Magrath-area producer said a few days after the news broke.
“I don’t know what happened. I’ve been trying to figure it out myself. I’ve had lots of people phoning me and people from other farm organizations asking what happened. I wish I knew myself.
“I don’t know if it was staff or board members in conflict, I don’t know. But something major must have gone down. You don’t get rid of the bosses unless something happened.”
In a later interview, Stanford said he hadn’t learned anything more and had not been able to contact Steve.
Kevin Auch, another former Alberta Wheat chair, said the whole thing was surprising.
“I don’t know what to say besides that,” said the Carmangay area farmer. “It’s one of those things you don’t expect.”
That may have been true for Steve himself.
On the day he was dismissed, he gave a lengthy interview to CTV news show Alberta Primetime discussing — in his typical down-to-earth and calm manner — a host of topics from the effect of the public service strike on grain exports to spring seeding and moisture conditions.
Steve has regularly been praised over the years by members of the two farm groups for his management skills and leadership qualities.
He featured prominently in a recently released Alberta Wheat video celebrating its 2012 founding. In the video, Steve talks about his involvement in a host of initiatives, including helping the group become a national player in development of farm policy following the end of the wheat board; a major expansion of funding for farm research; and merging first the offices and support staff and then the management teams of the two groups.
Steve was hired by Alberta Wheat in 2014 and became general manager of both groups in 2017. He previously ran the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission and worked for Viterra and Agricore United.
The two commissions are set to formally amalgamate on Aug. 1 and one source said Steve was set to retire once the amalgamated organization was up and running.
Alberta Farmer attempted to reach Steve and Khurram but was unsuccessful.
The paper also asked to view minutes of recent board meetings of both Alberta Wheat and Alberta Barley, but that request was declined. Agricultural commissions are required to provide meeting minutes to the Alberta Agricultural Products Marketing Council but “there is no requirement to post these publicly,” a government official said.
Wheat and barley producers need to continue to have confidence in the boards, said Auch.
“I guess things happen and the board must have had their reasons. You just need to trust the board and that they knew what they were doing. I’m sure they didn’t take that decision lightly.”
Meanwhile, the amalgamation will go ahead on schedule, said Sears.
He and Sawyer are now effectively the senior decision-makers in the two organizations and are listed on the staff pages of their websites. The duo, along with Alberta Wheat vice-chair Jason Lenz and second vice-chair Shawn Jacula, also sit on an executive council overseeing the soon-to-be-merged groups. The executive council along with the two boards are working “to ensure a smooth course of business while a thorough search for a replacement is conducted,” the groups said.
Sears said the FarmCash program is operating well and there are no known issues with it. It is audited regularly, most recently in the year ending Jan. 1, 2022.
